Journal-box lid.



J. W. BETTENDORF JOURNAL BOX LID fFfiled March 23, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet will,Il1 11111111111111111111111111111111 'INVENTOR at Q.-

ATTORNEYS J. w. BETTENDORF JOURNAL BOX LID Filed March 22 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

lNVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH W IBETTENDORF,

PATENT oFFicE.

v or ianr'rnnnonr, Iowa.

- JOURNAL-BOX LID.

Applicationfiled March 23, 1927. Serial No. 177,655.

' lid with a spring mechanism to apply yielding pressure against the outer face of the lid at substantially the center of the lid, in order to insure a good bearing engagement between the lid and journal box-entirely around the four sides of the lid.

Another object of my invention is to provide a rigid cover structure, or'journal box 15 lid, wherein a lid body portion, pintle, and connecting straps are associated together, as a unit. g p

Another object of the invention is to provide for relative movement between the integral pintle of the lid and the hinge lug so that the upper marginal portion of the lid will be free to move transversely of the hinge lu another object of this invention is to provide a removable journal .box lid having an integral pintle with a spring which bears on the hinge lug and the 'outer'surface of the lid and to a member carried'by the hingle lug, causing'the spring to exert pressure on the lid.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following description and annexed drawings, in which v 1 F igure l is a front elevation of a journal box with the lid in closed position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. l is a vertical section on line 4-4 of Fi 2.

" iig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the lid in semi-open position.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the hood to engage the spring.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the hood in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the journal box lid in full open position.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the journal box with the lid in closed position showing the hood in two positions.

' The journal box 1 is of conventional construction, and is provided with a hinge lug 2 having an eye portion 3 to receive the int egra'l pintle 4: of the journal box lid 5. I The lug is provided with suitable flattened port-ionsb and 7 which are adapted to be 'engaged by one portion of the springas will'be more fully described. 'The journal box lid 5 has the usual side flanges. 8 to fit over the edges 1 of the journal box and is providedf'with the integral pintle member & adjacent the upper marginal portlon of the lid. The integral pintle member iis preferably offset from the body portion of the lid and is preferably formed by rolling a cylindrical portion of the metal forming the lid and bending back the wings 9 to overlie the offset connecting straps 10 which connect the pintle with the body of the lid. The wings 9 and connecting straps 10 together constitute a rigid connection between the pintle' and the body portion of the,

lid and are preferably oifset from the body portion in order that they may properly fit the standard hinge lug ofa standard journal box. The body portion of the lid and straps members'l l between which the intermediate loop portion 15 extends upwardly and carries the roller 16 which bears on the flattened portions 6, 7 of the hinge lug when the lid is in closed or semi-open position.

' In order to apply pressure to the spring,

The hood itself isprovided with acylindrical c avity adapted to receive the helical coils 14 of the spring and the hood is also provided with an outwardly extending curved flange 20. When the hood is swung down in'the dotted line position shown in Fig. 9,

the flange 20 engages thecoils 14 and presses them inwardly toward the lid, thus placing pressure upon the roller 16 and the end 11 of the spring. Upon continued movement of the hood downwardly the flange EZOslides over the coils of the spring and permits the spring to return outwardly a slight distance to be received within the cylindrical portion of the hood. The spring 11, however, is in depressed condition and the pressure is mamtained on the inturned ends 11 of thespring l gage .the hood from the spring, toraise the to i outturned flange 20 and depress the helical coils of the spring a slight amount before the hood can swing upwardly free from the spring. 1 I

-The body of thejournal box lid may be stifl'ened by suitable depressions 22 as is well understood, and the finger piece23 may be provided for readily opening and closing the lid against the pressure of the spring.

- l/Vhen the hood member 19 is in spring engaging position so as to cause the portions I 11 of the spring to bear with pressure on the lid and to cause the roller 16 to bear upon the journal box lug, the lid may be opened to semiopen position as shown in Fig. 5 so that the roller bears on the surtace 7 of the hinge lug,,or the lid may be opened to the full open position shown in Fig. 8.

I It will be noted that'the eye portion 3 of the hinge lug is of sutiicient size to permit movement of the integral pintle ofthe lid transversely of the eye so that the upper portion of the lid is free tov seat itself tightly against the sides or edges 1 of the journal box.

The terminal loop portions of the .hood member extend only part way around the reduced end portions 17 of the hinge lug so that the hood may be removed from the hinge lug by upward swinging movement thereof-past the position shown in Fig. 9.

When the journal box lid is in the vertical position shown in Fig.8 the lid may be moved laterally of the journal ,box so that the connecting straps and reinforcingwings 9 may pass through the slot 21 of the hinge lug. Thus the lid maybe applied to or re moved from the journal box-and the hood .member 19 may be applied to or removed from the hinge lug after-thelid has been mounted on the journal box.

provided an advantageous unitary cover structure for a journal box, in which a lid body portion and pintleand connecting cient journal boxlid which is provided with an integral pintle and which may be readily appliedto or removed from a standard journal box hinge lug.

boxlid. It will furthermore be noted that I have Itwill also be seen that with my'construc tion, wherein movement of the lid transversely of the hinge lugis permitted under pressure ofxthe spring,-the seating of the lid tightly against the four sides 1 of the journal box is insured.

.It' will also be seen that I have provided planation and illustration and that various modifications of said apparatus and procee dure can be made without departing from my invention as defined in the appended clalms. What I claim 1s:

l. The con bination with a journal box providedwith a hinge lug, of a rigid unitary cover structure having a lid body portion and a pintle,-said cover structure being pivotally connected to the lug by said pintle,

a s rin memberhavin an end ortion enc D gaging the outer face of the lid substantially at the center thereof and theother. end portion adapted to cooperate with the hinge lug, aspring compressing'member rotatably mounted upon the-ghinge lug for engaging intermediate portions. of the spring to cause the spring to exert, pressure upon the outer face of the lid and the hinge lug," whereby the lid is pressed tightlyagainstthejournal box- I l 2. The combination with a journal box having a hinge luoprovided withan eye, of a journal box lid having an integral pmtle adapted. to be insertedwithin the eye of the lug, a spring member having one end portion engaging the outer face of the 11d substantially [at the, center and the other end portion provided with a roller to bear against the hinge lug, said spring having coiled portions intermediate its ends, a hood member adapted to receive said coiled portions and exertpressure through the spring upon the hinge lug and the outer face of thejournal a journal box lid having an integral pintle adapted to be received within the eye of the 'rotatably mounted on the hinge lug and with a journal box hinge lug, said pintle beinglof .less diameter than the eye of the lug inorder to permit the pintle to move bodily transversely of the lug, a spring member cooperativelyarranged with respect to the Outer face of the lid and the hinge lug and having an intermediate portionspaced from; the lid, means rotatably'mounted upon the hinge lug to engage the intermediate portion of the spring member and cause pressure to be exerted through the spring upon the surface of the lid and the lug whereby the lid will be tightly seated against the edges of the journal box opening, and whereby the lid will be held by springpressure in closed or open position.

l. The combination with a journal box having a hinge lug provided with an eye, of a lid therefor having an integral pintle adapted to be received within the eye of the lug, the eye of said lugbeing of greater. diameter than said pintle whereby the upper portion of the lid may move relative to the journal box opening, a spring member having one end portion engaging the face of the lid and the other end adapted to cooperate with the lug, said spring member having intermediate coiled portions, a hood member rotatably mounted on the hinge lug and adapted to engage tions of the spring and to hold the spring under compression to exert pressure on the lid and hinge lug, said hood member having an outwardly extending flange to prevent accidental displacement of the hood when in spring compressing position. 5

5. he combination of a journal box having a hinge lug, of a rigid unitary cover structure having a lid body port-ion and a pintle, said lug having an eye portion of I larger diameter than said pintle to permit sli 'ht movement of the pintle transversely the intermediate POP-f of the lug, said lug being also provided with an outwardly opening slot from the eye portion, spring cooperatively arranged to exert pressure on the outer face of the lid and said hinge lug, a spring engaging inember having curved arms to be rotatably inserted on the end portions of the lug, said member being adapted to engage the intermediate portion of the spring r and exert pressure on the lug and lid respectively, said curved arms extending only partially around the lug whereby thespring engaging member may be applied to and removed from thelug when the lid is in place.

6. The combination with a journal box provided with a hinge lug having an eye, of a rigid unitary cover structure having a lid body portion and a pintle adapted to be re- 7 ceived within the eye of the hinge lug, said pintle beingof less diameter than the eye of the lug in order to permit the pintle to move bodily transversely of the lug,a spring member cooperatively arranged with respect tothe outer face of the lid and the hinge lug, and a spring compressing member roitatably mounted on the hinge lug for engaging intermediate portions of the spring to cause the spring to exert pressure on the outer face of the lid and the hinge lug whereby the lid is pressed tightly against the journal box. e

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JosEPn w. snrrnivnonr; 

